Coal agitator for mechanical stokers



II. S. RILEY. coAL AGITATOR Foa MECHANICAL sToKEns. APPLICATION FILED APR. I3. I9I7 Patented Mar. 21A, 1922.

Even-ov R.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT SANFORD RILEY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SANFORD RILEY STOKER C0. LTD., OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

COAL AGITATOR FOR MECHANICAL STOKERS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

Application ledApril 13, 1317. Serial No. 161,862.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT SANFORD RILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at lllorcestei, inthe county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Coal Agitator for Mechanical Stokers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention constitutes an improvement over my Patent No. 1,208,011, patented December 12, 1916, and has similar objects in view.

The principal Object of this invention is to provide a more eflicient device for the general purposes set forth in said patent, and especially to provide a construction which will certainly break up any arch formed in the hopper by forcing apart the coal forming one end of the arch, thus causing the arch tO drop. Further object and advantages of Ithe invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a central sectional View of one portion of a hoppen of a mechanical stoker with a preferred embodiment of this inven- 'tion applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the other extreme position, Aand Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 of two parts of the hopper looking at the ends of the plungers. p Y

As is claimed in my above mentioned patent the coal in a hopper of the shape indicated tends tO arch therein when the plunger 11 is drawn back as shown in Fig. 1. The agitator 14 shown in Said patent 1s for the purpose of breaking through this arch in any position therein, but I find in practice that it is better to break the arch at one end thereof and make that action positive, because when broken there the arch necessarily falls at that end.

Referring' to the drawings it will be seen that, as in the above mentioned patent, the hopper 10 is shown as having a series of reciprocating plungers 11, each plunger having a notch 13 in the top. In this notch is pivoted the lower end of a rigid agitator 24. This agitator extends upwardly from the forward end of the plunger and is made thin at its lower end so as to cause little resistance when forced through the coal. At

its upper end and at intervals throughout its length cross rods 26 are shown of sufficient length to reach practically between the adjacent plungers and extend the action of the agitator throughout the hopper. In this case the agitator is provided with an end 25 which is bent at an angle to the main portion thereof and is confined by a pair of brackets 27 having a pin 28 connecting them So as to limit the position of the end 25. By confining the motion of the agitator' at this point the part of it below is given a motion only partway across the hopper, but that .motion is positive and up and down so that it is absolutely forced to break up that end of any arch formed when the coal below drops down in front of the plunger.

It will be seen therefore that although the agitator is operated by the horizontal reciprocation of the plunger at the bottom of the hopper and the other end moves back vand forth iny the hopper freely as in my above mentioned patent, yet by limiting the path in which the agitator moves to an up and downor substantially vertical motion and making its motion positive throughout its length, the breaking up of the arch is definitely assured. functions of the one described in my above mentioned patent and in addition performs the function of 4breaking up the arch more eiiciently because it necessarily loosens the coal at every stroke at one end of any arch that can form in the hopper.

It is to be noted that the end 25 of the agitator, which is slightly bent out-of line with the main body.,A thereof, extends upwardly through the brackets 27 to a point above the top of the hopper, so that it can be hit by a hammeror grasped by hand and operated to that shown in the above .mentioned patent, but they are spaced substantially equally apart throughout the length of the agitator. Although I have illustrated and described only a sin le form of the invention I am aware of t e fact that many modifications This agitator has all thev canbe made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed inthe claims.

Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to all the details'of construction herein shown and described, but whatI do claim is l. In a coal feeding mechanism, the combination with a hopper, of a rigid coal agitator extending upwardly within the hopper, means located at the bottom of the hopper for operating the lower end of said agitator, the upper end also being slidable up and down along one wall of the hopper,

' and means for guiding said other end at one side of the hopper to cause the agitator to' perform all its motions throughout a definite ath. p 2.. In acoal feeding mechanism, the combination with a plunge for feeding coal, of an agitator having one end directly pivoted to the plunger and having the other end movable freely, and means for guiding said freely movable end to move in a direction at an anlgle to the axis of the plunger.

3. n a coal feeding mechanism, the combination with ahopper and a plunger for feeding coal therefrom, of an agitator in the hopper connected pivotally at one end to the plunger so that that end reciprocates positively in unison with the plunger and having the other end movable freely up and down the hopper, and means for guiding said freely movable end near one wall of the hopper, whereby the agitator will be caused to move positively both toward and from that wall of the vhopper at every stroke of the plunger in either direction to break up the end of an arch formed in the hopper.

4. In a coal feeding mechanism, the combination with a hopper and a reciprocating plunger inthe bottom thereof, of a coal agitator pivotally connected with the end of the plun er and extending upwardly there-from within the hopper, the upwardly extending art being free in the hopper, and alguiding evice for said upwardl extending part located at one side of the opper, whereby .the

l agitator will be caused to move toward and from that side of the hopper positively at every stroke of the plunger to break up the end of an arch formed in the hopper.

5. In` a coal feeding mechanism, the com- I bination with a hopper and a reciprocating plunger, of a coal agitator pivotally connected with the end of 'the plunger and located in the hpper and having an end extending at a slight angle therefrom forwardly and constituting a guiding means therefor, and fixed means on the hopper for engaging said end and guiding the agitator.

6. n a coal feeding mechanism, the combination with a hopper and a reciprocating plunger, of a coal agitator pivotally connected with the end of the plunger in the hopper and having an end extending outside the hopper and constituting a handle by which the agitator can be operated by hand from outside. 1 i

7. In a coal feeding mechanism, the -com bination with a hopper and a plunger for feeding coal therefrom, of an agitator in the hopper connected to be operated by the plunger and having one end slidable freely in the hopper and the other end, movable in a different direction, and means for guiding said freely movable end to move it up and down along one wall of the hopper.

8. In a coal feeding mechanism, the com-- bination with a reciprocating coal feeding plunger, of an agitator pivoted to and movable positively in unison with the plunger in both directions to break up an arch of coal and upset it into the space in front of the plunger as the latter is withdrawn, and means for controlling the motion of the free end of said agitator.

9. In a coal-feeding mechanism, the combination with a horizontally movable plunger for feeding coal, of an agitator connected at one end to be reciprocated with the plunger and having one end movable freely, and means for guiding said freely movable end to move up and down within the hopper near one wall thereof.

10. In a coal feeding mechanism, the co1nbination with a horizontally movable plunger for feeding coal, of an agitator connected at one end to be reciprocated with the plunger and-having one end movable freely, and means for guiding said freely movable end to move up and down within the hopper near onewall thereof, said agitator, having a horizontal member movable substantially horizontally over the plunger.

11. In a hopper having in the vicinity of its discharge place an interior surface whereon an arch of contained material may rest, the combination therewith of an agitator-passing into the hopper near the level of said surface; a rod supported on the rod above the said surface and mounting means whereby the agitator may be moved, said rod vbeing thereby sliced horizontally through material inthe hopper, power driven means discharging the material, and a connection therefrom drivin said agitator.

12. n a hopper, having in the vicinity of 'its discharge a'surface on which an arch of material may rest, the combination therewith of an agitator passing into the hopper near thelevel of said surface, afrod supported on the agitator and projecting to both sides thereof, with its surfaces on opposite and arranged for the rods to have a reciproleating movement in the direction of the length of the trough', with the said rods displacin material in the hopper at the edges of sai discharge places.

14. In a hopper having in the vicinity of its discharge place interior surfaces whereon an arch of contained material may rest, and means dischar ing material from under said arch position, ghe combination therewith ofa rod extending substantially horizontally in the hopper and adapted to act on material in the arch that may rest on said surface, and means supporting said rod and guiding it with movement to and fro in a line whose direction passes through a position under said arch where material is unsupported by the arch.

15. In a hopper having a plurality of valleys in its bottom leading to discharge open.-

y ings, the combination therewith of rods arranged with their ends adjacent to the crests between said valleys,and means whereby the said rods may be intermittently moved thence between the said valleys, thereby displacin material.

.16, n a hopper having a plurality of valleys in its bottom leading to discharge openings, the combination therewith of means located with its end near the crest so that it may fall between two valleys to displace material from the crest toward the valleys.

17. The combination of coal feeding apparatus, including a relatively long and narrow trough hopper extending horizontally, adapted to hold a supply of coal adjacent to the furnace of a steam boiler, having openings at its bottom through which coal passes out from it to the boiler furnace and having interior surfaces whereon an arch of coal may rest, with -movable coal-displacing. means, and means supporting and guiding said displacin means in position to act directly on coal a ong substantially the whole of a line crossing transversely any arch that might rest on said surface. Y

18. The combination of coal feeding apparatus, including a relatively long and narrow trough hopperv extending horizontally adapted to hold a supply of coal adjacent to thefurnace of a steam boiler, having openings at its bottom through which coal passes out from it to the boiler furnace and having interior surfaces whereon an arch of coal may rest, with movablel coal-displacing means, and means supporting and guiding said displacing means in position to act directly on coal with a horizontal stroke to and fr0 1n the direction of the .length of the trough in position and direction to traverse substantially the whole of one end of any arch that might rest on said surface.

19. The combination of coal feeding apparatus, including a relatively long and narrow trough hopper adapted to hold a supply of. coal adjacent to the surface of a steam boiler, havmg openings at its bottom through which coal passes out from't to the boiler furnace, and having interior surfaces whereon an arch of coal may rest, with a coal-displacing element extending horizontally near Isaid surfaces, and means supporting and guiding said element in reciprocating movement horizontally so as t0 cut substantially the whole of the end of any arch that might rest on said surfaces.

20. In a hopper having in the vicinity of its discharge place an interior surface whereon an arch of contained material may rest, the combination therewith of displacin means arranged adjacent to said surface an extending horizontally along it, and means whereby said element is movable horizontally out from and in toward said surface, t rough the position occupied by the end of an arch resting on said surface.

21. In a hopper provided with a discharge opening, the combination of side and end walls having interior surfaces extending in directions atan angle to each other upon which the ends of arches of coarse material may rest,`with a displacing means movable to and fro horizontally therein witha stroke that causes its end to enter within the body of material constituting one end of an arch resting on one of said surfaces moving along one of said surfaces and out from the other of said surfaces so as to displace material of an arch having an end resting on either of them. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ROBERT SANFORD RILEY. 

